WHY I CALL MYSELF "ECCENTRIC"!

"So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God."  (Romans 14:12)

When I was a kid, my father had a friend who sold, distributed, and maintained juke boxes.  Through that friend, we had a juke box in our basement loaded with 45 RPM records of early 1960s rock 'n roll and other hits.  One song I remember hearing on that juke box is "That's Why the Lady is a Tramp".   Admittedly, it's not a very godly or edifying song, but I think of it as I want to explain why I call myself "eccentric"!

You probably have noticed in the description of myself on the blog I do indeed use the word "eccentric".  On my storytelling cassette tape recorded a year and a half ago, I also introduce myself as "eccentric".  My dictionary states that the word "eccentric" comes from the Greek and literally means "out of center".  The dictionary lists several definitions of "eccentric".  When I use the word, I mean "unconventional".  I know that some people don't like to hear me calling myself "eccentric".  They think I'm putting myself down.  They think of an eccentric person as someone walking around in his pajamas, drooling all over himself, and yelling platitudes in Latin, or some sort of behavior similar to that.  Listen, THAT sort of person is not eccentric; they're NUTS!  No, I'm NOT like that, but as Pastor Phil McCutchen of Bethany Assembly of God of Mendon has told me, "I'm unique".  Yes, I am.

Have you ever watched the animated FOX series, "King of the Hill"?  If so, you're familiar with the character Bobby Hill, a 12-year-old who likes to eat, watch T.V., and perform comedy and drama.  As a kid, I was a lot like that.  In my case, I was like that around 9 or 10.  I would not even hesitate to get up and perform- singing some crazy song, doing imitations of my teachers, etc.  By 12 I was exactly the opposite.  What was very cool in 4th Grade was considered the epitome of uncool in Junior High.  I was in the high school band, but I was a very uncool and unathletic teenager with a very strict father.  Those were not really great years for me.  At Stonehill College in the mid-1970s I was probably the second or third shyest person on campus.  But that crazy 9-year-old performer was still locked deep inside the painfully shy young adult.

I thank God He called me into the ministry and made the way for me to go to Central Bible College in Missouri in the late 1970s.  It was a new beginning for me.  I forced myself to be much more outgoing and involved, and I made some lifelong friendships.  I also treasure some great memories of Central Bible College.  Formally entering the ministry, however, would once again challenge who the real Bob Baril was.  It was even more true 25 years ago that there was a certain way a minister was supposed to speak and act.  He was never supposed to lose his temper.  He was never supposed to act inappropriately.  He was never to come across as sad or depressed. He could be funny, but NEVER absurdly funny (like Robin Williams).  He had to have a good business head on his shoulders.  He had to be very spiritually minded.  He also had to be very practical, very caring, and just GREAT with people.  Athletic ability was not mandatory, but a big plus in ministry...those church softball leagues, and all that stuff.

Wow.

Once again, it felt like high school.  I tried and I tried to be the person I've described above.  Many Assemblies of God ministers and other evangelical ministers really DO seem to succeed at that.  After a number of years, I gave up and just decided to be me.  Since I AM so eccentric/unique and since I DON'T live up to most of what's written above, I've tended to be either absolutely loved by some people or absolutely despised by others.  But I concluded years ago that this is the person I am- it's who God made me, and I'm actually PROUD to be eccentric!

God has also used me to greatly encourage people who are "different" to embrace who they are, and to enjoy it!

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you some of what qualifies me as "eccentric":

1.  I have virtually all of my things organized in certain ways, like an autistic savant- the difference is, if they DO become disorganized, I don't particularly like it, but I'm not going to have a meltdown like Dustin Hoffman "The Rain Man".

2.  I carry a cluster of pens in my left pants pocket- usually several BIC pens of various colors, and a black and red felt tip.  Usually about once a year, a pen will leak and ruin a pair of pants, but I just insist on doing this.  If I don't have those pens with me, it just doesn't feel right, and you never know when you'll need one of them!

3.  I shave the hair on my back.  It's extremely difficult to do.  I used to have SUCH a hairy back, it honestly looked like the back of a gorilla or a bear---THAT bad.  About a year ago, I decided to do something about it. Once a month, I shave it.  It takes about a half hour.  I primarily use an electric shaver, but sometimes I will use shaving cream and a razor to finish the upper back.

4.  I also get my haircuts at exact 4 week intervals, and I list the dates for haircuts way ahead on the calendar.  Now, I WILL allow myself to actually get the haircut a day early or a day late depending on my exact schedule that week, the weather, etc.

5.  I've seen every episode of Northern Exposure at least once.  Most, I've seen many times. I can get very emotional watching that show.  It can make me laugh or cry and I never get tired of it.

6.  I know all kinds of useless trivia...but I may forget where I put my watch!

7.  Speaking of my watch, I like my watches and clocks to be precisely correct.  I always set my wristwatch exactly 2 minutes ahead.  Pretty much every other clock in my life is set EXACT.  Turning the clocks (as in a few days) is truly a stressful exercise for me.

8. I clip my fingernails so short that my kids think it's kind of funny.  It really is!

9.  I absolutely LOVE the 3 Stooges, and will let pressing matters go just to watch them.

10.  I keep up this blog!